About 25 years ago I received a cortisone shot in the back. That was before I learned how to better cope with it and before I lost about 20 pounds. My L0 or L1 disk is bulging; I have seen the X-rays. I had gotten to the point where I could not stand up for any length of time. I can recall standing in the long cafeteria lunch line at work and having to go into the men's bathroom and hang by my hands from the partitions between the stalls. That would relieve the pain in my back and legs. The shot helped after a couple of days.

Since that time I've managed to aggravate it every now and then. But the chilling really helps and I've never had to return to a doctor. Last time I screwed it up was about 4 years ago when I was installing a car lift in my basement. I bent over and dragged the pump/motor assembly across the floor to position it rather than picking it up with my engine puller. I regretted that. Fortunately, I have kept my head out of my ass since then (when it comes to my back).

Think about the weight thing. When you loose 5 pounds, or however much, in the region of your body above where the damaged disk is, the weight your back sees is some multiple of 5 pounds. As you walk, you bob up and down. The 5 pounds gets magnified as you reduce your downward velocity before you do the upward bob as you walk.

Another thing I never, ever do is jump.

Swimming is a very good way to burn calories, especially in cool water. Your body wants to maintain 98.6 F. If the water temperature is less, in addition to the mechanical work you do swimming, you get another caloric burn as your body attempts to maintain its temperature. 1 BTU (252 calories) is 778 ft-lb of energy.

Good luck with your back. I hope you feel better soon.

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Lawrence Coppari

2002 SLK32 AMG
2005 Acura TL
1987 328GTS
1986 944T